Jaguars thump Bills 36-14, turn attention to Indy

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--Fred Taylor turned his head and stared down two defenders as he strolled into the end zone.

It was the last time he looked back Sunday.

Taylor ran for a season-high 104 yards and a touchdown, Josh Scobee kicked five field goals and the Jacksonville Jaguars thumped Buffalo 36-14 Sunday in a game more lopsided than even the final score indicated.

Taylor and the Jaguars (8-3) wasted little time reflecting on this one. They quickly turned their attention to next week's game at Indianapolis, which could be Jacksonville's last chance to win the AFC South.

The Jaguars' third consecutive victory gave them extra confidence heading into next week's second meeting with the Colts. Indy won the first game 29-7.

"We're really rolling right now," Jaguars linebacker Clint Ingram said. "We're steady building. Everybody is taking a step forward and we're not really taking any steps back. Not to toot our own horn right now too much, but everybody's got the same goal and we're moving toward it.

"We're ready for the Colts now."

The Bills (5-6), meanwhile, were left to deal with back-to-back blowouts. They were hoping to rebound from a 56-10 drubbing against New England. Instead, they got another beating that helped the Patriots clinch the AFC East.

David Garrard hooked up with Reggie Williams for a 59-yard score that put Jacksonville ahead 29-14 with 2:39 remaining, then Maurice Jones-Drew added a 17-yard scoring run with 1:43 to play.

The two plays turned an eight-point lead into a rout.

"To give up two crucial big plays, that was key to the game," Bills safety George Wilson said. "That's what this game is about: making big plays and stopping big plays. They made more plays than we did today and they got the win."

Jacksonville's struggles in the red zone allowed Buffalo to keep it close early.

The Bills actually had a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter. They trailed 22-14 and had the ball in Jacksonville territory. But J.P. Losman threw an interception, his third turnover of the game.

His latest mistakes may have been his last for the Bills.

Losman acknowledged earlier in the week this was a make-or-break game for him, knowing another poor performance or loss might prompt coach Dick Jauron to turn the offense over to rookie Trent Edwards.

Losman finished 27-of-40 for 211 yards, with a touchdown, two interceptions and a fumble. He was only sacked once, but was pressured much of the game — a strong defensive performance from a team that played without linebacker Mike Peterson (hand) and cornerback Rashean Mathis (groin).

The Bills were without rookie running back Marshawn Lynch (ankle) for the second consecutive week, and once again, Losman failed to carry the load.

Jauron declined to address his quarterback situation, saying no personnel changes will be made until Wednesday. Losman said he wasn't thinking about a demotion, either.

"As a player, you're just re-evaluating what happened out there," Losman said. "What could I have done better out there, learning from your mistakes, trying to imbed in your head not to do that again. So that's pretty much where my head's at."

Garrard was much better for Jacksonville. He was 23-of-37 for a career-high 296 yards and set a team record for consecutive passes without an interception (209).

The Jaguars also got plenty of help from Buffalo, which had several costly mistakes.

The first one was an illegal participation penalty on fourth down — Buffalo had 12 defenders on the field — that gave Jacksonville a first down.

Taylor found a huge hole on the next play and ran untouched for a 50-yard touchdown. He looked back at Terrence McGee and Wilson as he strutted the final 15 yards into the end zone.

"I was just messing around," Taylor said. "I knew I wasn't going to get caught. I knew I had room to be silly a little bit."

Losman's first interception and a fumble later led to two of Scobee's field goals.

The score was 19-7 in the third quarter when Bills receiver Roscoe Parrish took a handoff and sprinted 24 yards for a touchdown.

But Rian Lindell's kickoff went out of bounds following a 5-yard penalty, giving the Jaguars the ball near midfield. Garrard drove the Jags into field-goal range again, and Scobee drilled his team record-tying fifth of the day.

"We feel like a lot of those threes should have been sevens, and then it wouldn't have been as close as it was throughout," Taylor said.

Notes:@ Bills LB Coy Wire (neck), RT Langston Walker (elbow) and DE Chris Kelsay (ankle) left the game with injuries. ... The Jaguars lost two TEs. George Wrighster may have damaged a ligament in his right knee, and Greg Estandia injured his shoulder. ... WR Ernest Wilford caught five passes for 60 yards, including three impressive grabs on third down.

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